"It is NC-Congress coalition government which framed and implemented the rehabilitation policy making way for these persons (militants) to return and live a peaceful life. This is the real healing touch", Omar said addressing a rally yesterday at Kilim in Devsar constituency of south Kashmir.
South Kashmir is a PDP stronghold where it has swept the local assembly and parliamentary elections in the past.
The PDP-led state government, which was in coalition with the Congress from 2002 to 2008, had coined the term "healing touch" for its policies.
Omar asked the people to make a distinction between the "real" healing touch and the "fake" healing touch, making reference to the PDP policies.
"The rehabilitation policy, passports to relatives of militants, reduction in the footprints of security forces, removal of bunkers, focusing attention on political issues, zero tolerance against rights violations, people-centric Standing Operating Procedures (SOP) and many other steps taken during the last three years itself differentiate the real healing touch from the fake one propagated by PDP during their time", Omar said.
He said that the PDP despite raising the slogan of healing touch opposed the rehabilitation policy aimed at providing an opportunity to the militants who had crossed the Line of Control in the legislature when it was in power.
"This also distinguishes mere slogans from solid actions", he said.(MORE)